2007 Suzuki King Quad 450 4x4
Utility ATV Press IntroBy:
David Reese

Rome, GA - Suzuki established itself
in the ATV market with the release of the original King
Quad in 1991 which was Considered revolutionary in design
at that time as a utility ATV. Like all utility ATV’s
manufactured back then, there was nothing push button
or plush about them and you certainly wouldn‘t
of thought of them as being sporty. They were found
to be cumbersome, rough riding, and tipsy out on the
trail, and primarily produced as workhorses, so what
could one expect.

Fourteen years later and light years ahead in Utility
ATV technology the 2005 King Quad 700 4X4 sport utility
was introduced. Did you notice the word sport before
the word utility? That’s what you can call keeping
your priorities straight, play then work. Yes, this
now meant you could hit the trail with confidence
and comfort on the same quad that you just finished
the yard work with, or hopefully you can keep your
priorities straight and go for the trail ride first.

The King Quad has been Suzuki's flagship utility
ATV since its introduction in 1991 and has come standard
with all their high end features and latest technology.
For 2007 Suzuki is expanding the King Quad lineup
with its 450cc model. Although the 450 is in a lower
cc class and about a thousand dollars less than its
big brother the 700 it still shares all the same high
end features and latest technology. This includes
a fully independent double wishbone suspension with
a rear sway bar. A Lower center of gravity is achieved
by the 4.6 gallon fuel tank being located under the
seat, and the engines cylinder being at a slant of
48 degrees. The fuel tank location trading places
with the air box places the engine air intake at the
highest possible point on the quad giving it the capability
to ride through deeper water and mud holes.

A
growing trend in Sport Utility ATVs is to move
the gas tank under the seat for lower center
of gravity and moving the airbox to the historical
gas tank location infront of the seat for a
higher breathing positions for maximum protection
from water and mud

Easy push-button drive-train mode selection for 2WD,
full time 4WD, or 4WD with the front differential
locked. The fully automatic v-belt driven transmission
uses a gated left handed automotive style shifter
to select neutral, low, high, or reverse with the
ability to start while in gear with the brake fully
engaged. Winch installation is made easy with a conduit
for wiring already in place on the frame. Suzuki’s
electronic Fuel-Injection is used, which makes for
easy cold starts and good throttle response no matter
what the weather conditions or altitude. For the infrequent
rider who often finds their quad with a dead battery,
the engineers at Suzuki have added a capacitor to
hold a charge so pull starting is still possible with
electronic fuel-injection where other wise the battery
would have to be charged.

The
resverse rev limiter over-ride button is within
a thumbs reach for quick access and the start
button has been moved up beside the light switch

The
Diff-Lock is also within thumbs reach for quickly
switching between drive modes, which was extremely
easy and convient to use during our test ride

Suzuki was proud to promote this first and newest
addition to the King Quad line of ATV's and invited
the ATV/Off Road media to Highland Park Off Road Heaven
located in the North West Georgia Mountains for a
day to test ride the all-new 450. Highland Park’s
45 miles of mountain trails would make for a great
place for a test ride, with its many changes in elevation
and switchback turns. Also, on the schedule was a
tour of Suzuki’s Manufacturing Plant in Rome,
Georgia where the Suzuki King Quad 450 and other Utility
models are built from the ground up.

Being the first group to arrive at
Highland Park, we had first pick from the cluster
of 2007 King Quad 450’s that Suzuki had waiting
for us to ride. A few were equipped with genuine Suzuki
accessories installed such as rack extensions, bumpers,
wheels and tires. Before riding the new quad we took
the time to get familiar with the 450's controls and
instrumentation. Looking for a choke you won’t
find one anywhere because the EFI eliminates the need
for one, which eliminates those cold morning starting
issues of the past. From the throttle your thumb doesn’t
have far to go to find the drive selection mode button
for 2WD and 4WD as well as the 4WD with front differential
locked switch. The left handed gated style shifter
made it easy to select between high, low, neutral,
and reverse. The drive mode and gear selection is
displayed on an easy to read LCD digital dash along
with an easy to read speedometer, odometer, twin trip
meters, hour meter, clock, and fuel gauge. For the
King Quad, the fuel Gauge is a real necessity considering
the fuel tank is located under the seat. Besides the
normal rear storage compartment, a dry storage compartment
is also located in the front right fender within arms
reach while in the sitting position. Trying the pull
starter just for fun turned out to be a trying experience.
Some brawn is necessary for the pull starter that’s
for sure, and an automatic cylinder decompression
is really needed. Cosmetically and feature wise the
only difference between the 700 and 450 models that
you will find, is the 450 lacks the third head light
mounted on the handle bars and 250cc’s.

The
large front storage compartment is a great feature
for keeping items dry and is easily accessible
while sitting on the King Quad. Also, the King
Quad has an even larger rear storage compartment,
which can be accessed once dismounted from the
ATV

Thankfully the heavy rain that morning
began to taper to occasional showers and eventually
just sprinkles as we geared up to hit the trails,
which was littered with puddles and mud holes. Hitting
these puddles and mud holes at speed, the aggressive
sporty looking plastic with full fenders and floorboards
proved to be extremely effective in repelling the
slinging mud and water, and what little mud and water
that did splash into the floor board drained well
with the large drainage holes. As for traction in
the mud, the specially designed light weight Dunlop
tires worked ok, but lacked in lateral traction pushing
a bit in the corners. There was one 450 that had ITP
tires and wheels on it that didn’t push like
the one with the stock tires and wheels but the extra
traction and rotating weight noticeably bogged down
the motor over the light weight stock radial tires.

The only real complaint with the King
Quad 700 was its somewhat twitchy feel in the steering
and a tendency for the weight to dive down on the
front end under load, this issue was not evident on
the 450 even though the same platform and geometry
are used for both quads except for the wheels, hubs,
and spindles on the 700 are aluminum while the 450
utilizes steel components to keep it within Suzuki’s
goal weight of 606 lbs or less. This gives the 700
less un-sprung weight which would explain the somewhat
twitchy feel in the steering, and the heavier larger
displacement engine adds to the 700’s sprung
weight explaining why it tends to dive down in the
front. Even though the 450cc engine was no match in
a drag race with its big brother, this electronic
fuel-injected 4-valve single overhead cam power plant
coupled with Suzuki’s constantly variable transmission
provided sufficient power and torque to climb up the
muddy hills of the NW Georgia Mountains with ease.

The well maintained water breaks on
the main trail were perfect for sailing the King Quad
450 several feet in the air. I’m not sure Suzuki’s
engineers intended for anyone to get that much air
with it, but the fully independent suspension soaked
up landings smoothly and predictably. The suspension
also provided good control and tracking through the
corners, and the aggressive raised above the floorboard
foot pegs kept my feet planted and secured when shifting
my body weight for high speed turns and off-chamber
sections of the trail. Also, Suzuki’s hallmark
T-shaped seat was very effective in allowing for easy
body motion from side to side, and it was extremely
comfortable, which is essential for a long day of
riding.

Venturing off the main trail, things got more technical
with tight trails and hairpin turns at the edge of
drop offs where your brakes needed to be dependable.
There was never a doubt in that you were going to
have brakes. The front 200mm disk brakes provided
more than sufficient stopping power and were only
really needed when in 2WD. As for the rear clutch
like or tractor style brake sealed in oil it can be
compared to dropping anchor. In 4WD the rear brake
by itself had no problem in stopping you. Being a
sealed unit the rear brake didn’t overheat and
never lost any stopping ability, and unlike drum or
disc brakes, the internal rear brake is designed to
last the life of the machine without any maintenance
and the added cost of replacement pads, drums, or
rotors.

The following day we went to the factory the in
Rome, Georgia to observe the new King Quad 450 being
built. Although it wasn’t nearly as fun as riding
the day before, the factory tour tuned out to be really
interesting. We got a chance to see how everything
is fabricated and assembled on site from the cutting,
welding, and powder coating of the tubing to make
the frame, to the injection molding of the plastic.
The whole process takes about 6 hours from start to
finish in the manufacturing of one quad, and the plant
produces more than 300 units a day including the King
Quad, Vinson, and Eiger, which is almost every Suzuki
Utility ATV besides the Ozark, which is still produced
in Japan.

Touring the factory left no question about what
a great addition the 450 is to the King Quad family.
Comparing the King Quad brothers obviously the 700
is the faster of the two with the 450 coming out on
top in overall handling. The biggest difference you
will see in the showroom is that the King Quad 450
is priced at an MSRP of $6499.00 a thousand dollars
less than the 700, making it hard to decide between
these kings. Expanding the existing King Quad line
of ATV’s saves in production costs and enables
Suzuki to give the consumer a better product at lower
prices, explaining why Suzuki’s future plans
are to expand the King Quad line even further, but
we will have to wait till June 2007 to find out latest
addition to the King Quad family.